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DearJesse Sensei,
You are the best karate instructor in the world. Funakoshi Gichin would have admired you for teaching Karate in this way. "Karate starts with respect and ends with respect". You are the perfect example of Funakoshi's Karate Philosophy.
Thanking you very much,
Yours sincerely,
Khushveer
Motobu-ha Shito Ryu Karate-do, Mumbai INDIA

That's absolutely awesome! I wish there were more teachers like you, Jesse. In my case, my shihan just made us fight like the basal stage (slowly and limiting techniques) but then at the exam it was free kumite. So you can imagine how everything turned out, considering that people from other dojos were used to free kumite. :D

To me, sparring was always scary. Simply because we haven't done it much. I'm much more of a Kata Girl I guess, so that's why I was a bit intimidated but I thought: Hey, if I do not try it, I won't learn it. And Karate without Kumite? It's like a car without its wheels. Therefore, I went to Kumite training this summer, where the worst case happened: I injured myself pretty badly and now suffer from ACl in my left knee. Which means rehab three times a week and even worse, no Karate for me for a very long time...And I have no idea if I dare to try again because what if this happens again? I understood that Karate is no Modern Dance and that injuries are part of the game and the personal development as Karateka. But I feel my fear just became real. It was super painful and very depressing. I'm not the type of person who gives up easily and I know avoiding Kumite is not the solution. However, currently I have no clue how to overcome that fear.

I'm with Chantal. Because we never learned it the right way (baby steps), I had a concussion 2 years ago (and some memory issues since) and lately someone punched my eye, making me see lights that are not there (still hoping it will go away)...

I really wish more senseis to be like Jesse-san. I am a girl ,a jujutsuka, I practice nihon jujutsu. We too learn kumite. I once went to a competition and I suddenly felt fear. I couldn't overcome it. I got hit many times, and the referees were unfair. My opponent should've been disqualified and we didn't even have proper tatamis, they were some mats taken from a kids playground in a shopping mall. I feel like the true spirit of martial arts is slowly shrinking. I fell down during my sparring and I felt so weak because of the fear.Plus, at that moment I had my right foot injured, but I still fought. I told myself I should not give up and train harder, improve and be better. Later on after that, I came to the point where I was comfortable enough thinking about sparring. I have managed to win 2 medals, a bronze one and a silver one.I hope I'll get better at it and thanks so much for your amazing advice, sensei! Arigato!

Andreea,I feel exactly the same with Kumite. I practice Goju ryu karate, and have been to two tournements and got a bronze in kata only. this year i going to a tournement in May 2017, and hope to get a kumite medal then, hopefully next year go for my blackbelt. We dont do kumite much at our dojo so its difficult to progress. I guess its about trusting your opponent on the day, and of i knew they were getting too agressive i would raise my concerns with the judges as i did once when got punch in the throat, and my opponent for two warnings.

Yes, it's true, it's hard to progress when not practicing kumite too often in the dojo. Honestly, I will tell you this: I also think I felt fear because it was my very first time. I am a yellow belt, still learning :)
Also, all the competitors were very aggressive.I know how you feel. I got punched 3 times constructively in the face, more exactly my nose and eyes. Plus, my opponent stepped out of the fighting area. Not fair at all. They're just a medal factory, they're not promoting the true spirit of martial arts, and it's sad.
I wish you good luck in the future regarding your Karate journey. Train hard and stay healthy!

hi Jesse I have problem that when I have a competition l lose from the first match this happened with me for 4times but I know that was from fear now I am not afraid but I don't know I feel that I have problem but i dont know what is it u know its like a feel only

Hi Jesse-san,My first experience of sparring was as an 8th Gup up against the Cho Dan Bo (Shodan Ho equivalent in Tang Soo Do) because I was coming from work and missed the warm up. :-) But at my dojang it was an extremely nurturing environment and I have since become good friends with the Cho Dan Bo who I sparred against. It was always encouraged that the senior belt would only spar at the level of the junior belt so that they would feel encouraged to take a few shots without feeling like they were going to be overpowered. Head shots were allowed from the start but only softly and it meant that we learnt to keep our gloves up from the beginning. It allowed me to grow as a student and I never feared donning the gloves and protective headwear as a result. In fact, I thrived on it. I have not had the pleasure of sparring for some time, given that I stopped martial arts completely for a while (moving back home amongst other things) but in time I hope to be able to take up something that grabs my interest like Tang Soo Do did where I can continue to grow. To me, I am never sparring against the other person. I am in a battle with myself. The person in front of me is a test and it is up to me to see how well I can take it up to them. It's why I thoroughly enjoyed sparring in a dojang setting. The level of respect people had for each other was incredible. If you knocked that person flat on their back with a well-aimed kick, you allowed them the time to get back up again. It was not about trying to beat them, it was about technique, timing and encouraging one another. Nevertheless, those who we sparred regularly became good rivals and we could take it up a notch or three. :-DThanks for reading,
Samantha.

Thanks for this! Great info for my daughter who practices point fighting. She has always been afraid of fighting. Her biggest fear has always been illegal punches tonthe face. We got her a face mask and this helped alot. She had improved and stopped backing away and being on the defensive so much. Unfortunately we may need to resort back to the mask since she started wearing sport prescription glasses. She now has a purple target on her face again and the fear has reared it's ugly head again.

Thx really , i agree about the fear , it stops affecting u when u face it again and again and yes fear never really goes away.
Sometimes i just what some UFC press conferences and interviews to remove my fear !!!!

Fear is a marvelous thing. As you say, it is False Evidence, Appearing Real. It makes us unsure, unwilling, unmotivated, makes us Forget Everything And Run.
But it can also enpower us, lift that hidden strength that is born from fear, as we learn to understand, accept and embrace it. Then, and from that moment we realise by accepting it we get stronger, fear will make us Face Everything And Rise.

Oh...first u get well soon :) then try to do with basic kumite alone ...,,and in front of mirror (get long distance dont' break êmirror) then get ur trust friend or bro or sis ,,start one by one punch and block one day simple gyaku tsuki practice while gradually increasing speed go ahed then get do harder kumite and u know also I;love kata dont' like kumite even but I'practiced with big strong guy to overcome fear because if'i'can beat him i'can beat anyone ....so this way i'overcome fear ! best of luck :)

Hey Jesse I am a big fan and I love this article. The question I have is what can I do to improve my punching speed or to at least hit a little harder with a lot of control. Looking forward to your response

Thanks for this, Jesse-san. It's actually really funny, but in my three years as a karateka, I've never really had the allowances to learn to fight like your method suggests. I suppose it's lucky for me that I learn quickly when thrown in the deep end... I still would have preferred to do it this way. Recently, I participated in the Female Cadet Heavy Weight category of the British Open, which is a full contact kumite competition. I did quite well, and came in 3rd place :) I suppose I just have to be different in that both the gentle introduction and sink or swim methods both work when teaching me... That's got to be good, right?

This is an interesting post. I agree that it is definitely good to come out of your comfort zone and try new things. Congratulations on giving it a go. But I have a couple of points.
First, it is not always good to face your fear and jump in. For example if you're afraid to get hit by a truck.
Second, following from the first, it is not pain, stitches or defeat that stop me from attending MMA competitions (not that I'd have the required skills), but the head-/brain injuries.
Third and most importantly, competing is good, BUT it gives a skewed view of anything thats important in life. Be the competition rules those of karate sparring, kata or MMA. It is a poor measure of things. Why is it not enough to only spar with MMA rules, thai boxing rules, submission wrestling rules, karate rules, why must it be competition? Or why any rules at all? I find that I practice what I preach in Koryu uchinadi karate even without the competition aspect.

When I first did karate in the late eighties, this was exactly how it was taught. In at the deep end with someone who just battered you. I went away thinking I was useless.Came back to karate years later, after doing various other martial arts, where I actually been 'taught' how to Spar and how to fight. Guess what ? Suddenly it was easy.Now, I'll Spar with, and fight anyone. And I'll have no fear. It's just fun. Invariably I'll win pretty much every competition fight I'm in, and I love it. And when I Spar with lower belts, I go nice and easy. I don't batter them. We have fun.This was one of the big problems with karate. Thank goodness it's gradually changing.

Ha! Just coming back into karate with my 6yr. old son, I'm eager to start sparing again. I remember the feeling of "getting used to" being hit. We tended to fight in a kickboxing style back in the day as well as learn traditional karate techniques as my instructor was involved in the PKA back in the 80's. I still remember my first match as a 7yr. old. I was matched up against my cousin, a 6yr. old girl. They said fight and I threw a strong reverse punch dead in her face.... They forgot to tell me the rules. Luckily I was still a weakling so there was no real damage other than pride. I went on to win that match, and those early years at my dojo are some of my most fond memories. Of course, I was paid back in spades as an adult in BJJ (I still have scars) but I'm eager to get back into the karate ring. Occasionally I'll walk into a place that has that familiar smell and I'm 7yrs. all over again. Thank you so much for all you do Jesse-san! I'm glad I found your site!